Do Optimistic People Sleep Better?
Optimists live longer than pessimists and have a lower risk of chronic disease—this has been scientifically validated on multiple occasions. A reason for optimists having longer and healthier lives could be that they sleep better: this is the central finding of a recent study led by Jakob Weitzer and Eva Schernhammer from the Medical University of Vienna’s Division of Epidemiology, which has now been published in the Journal of Sleep Research. The two sleep researchers Stefan Seidel and Gerhard Klösch (Department of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna) were also involved in this study.
By analyzing the data of a 2017 online survey about general sleep characteristics and other factors such as people’s work situation and behaviors prior to going to bed, in which 1,004 Austrians participated, the MedUni Vienna epidemiologists found that the probability of suffering from sleep disorders and/or insomnia was around 70% lower among optimistic participants than it was among those who tended towards pessimism. “Other studies have shown that optimists take more exercise, smoke less and eat a healthier diet. On top of that, they have better strategies for coping with problems and experience less stress in challenging situations. All these factors could contribute to better quality sleep,” says Weitzer, summing up the current status of the research.
Excerpted from Medical Xpress
